


Girl's Night

by squiggly_squid



Series: Parable [18]
Category: Mass Effect Trilogy
Genre: Ellie Hunter - Freeform, Gen, Girls Night Out, Jane Vakarian
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-16
Updated: 2018-09-16
Packaged: 2019-07-12 21:20:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,383
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16003526
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/squiggly_squid/pseuds/squiggly_squid
Summary: Ellie invites Jane out for a girl's night away from the boys and they have a night fitting for a pair of N-7s.





	Girl's Night

****

Jane and Ellie don’t usually plan out time for themselves thanks to their always changing schedules, preferring to keep nights out purely spontaneous, but tonight’s different. In fact, Ellie contacted Jane a  _ week _ before, no doubt during a lull in her job off Virmire. Usually, Jane would be skeptical of a mission ending on a guarantee - her own work never sticking to the plan and timeframes - but she knows Arcanus and his studious timekeeping probably had a lot to do with Ellie’s confidence.

Whatever Ellie did to keep to their arrangement, Jane’s appreciative. While not necessarily bored with her family, sometimes it feels good to get out and have some fun without their mates there to rein them in when they get wild. Jane’s also pretty sure she’s read somewhere that ‘girl’s nights’ are very healthy for female friends and who better to drag out to a bar than Ellie? She knows that, after an apparently boring mission, Ellie is better off going out and acting like and idiot with Jane than going home to Arcanus for some … whatever boring shit he likes to do.

For some reason she still doesn’t know, Ellie likes that, but not tonight. Tonight, Jane’s going to get Ellie nice and drunk. Neither of them got to be that stereotypical college girl but it’s never too late, so tonight’s the night.

She counts it as a good sign that they aren’t immediately recognized when they step into the bar called The Iron Bars. Being the heads of the entire mercenary company on Virmire has it’s perks, but it also makes it pretty damn hard to blend in. Many are either wary of their superiors or wishing death on their bosses and it gets real old, real fast. She can’t say what may come up later tonight, but she takes it as a good sign she and Ellie aren’t immediately called out with their first step through the doors.

Although, the lower lighting might also help keep attentions off of them as they make their way through. The bar itself isn’t packed like some of the clubs on Virmire, but it’s not as quiet as a typical bar with it’s blaring country and country-sounding music. The majority of the patrons are humans with quite a few on the wood dance floor dancing in a way she would expect is meant to fit the music. They might as well be dancing something from another species for all she knows, nowhere near accustomed to the sound of music or rhythm to understand the obvious steps and routine. 

“I sure hope you aren’t planning on dancing,” She says loud enough to be heard above the noise of the bar to Ellie as they climb into a small booth.

Ellie glances to the dance floor and laughs, shaking her head. “I’m afraid I don’t know enough about it to really show you without looking like a fool.”

“Hey,” Jane responds with a bark of laughter, “You don’t know. By the end of this, we might need someone to drag us off that dance floor to save the other people’s feet.”

Ellie rolls her eyes, but smiles at that. She moves to speak, but stops with a young man stops at the table, nodding a polite greeting and yelling over the music.

“Welcome to the Iron Bars,” he shouts before motioning himself. “My name’s Daniel. Can I get you anything to start the night off?”

“Rum and coke!” Jane leans over to be better heard and jerks her chin towards Ellie in signal for him to get her own order.

“Get me a gin and tonic to start,” Ellie says just as loud, waiting for the waiter to leave before she glances Jane’s way. “So … Is this a casual evening or are we planning on getting well and truly drunk?”

Jane grins, making Ellie’s shoulders bounce in an unheard chuckle. “I was thinking start off with stuff we like while we’re aware enough to taste shit, then go batshit crazy. As long as I don’t have to call Garrus to carry me out, I’m planning on getting  _ nice  _ and drunk.”

Ellie laughs and Jane grins wider, nodding her head in further proof that she’s really intent on her goal. “Well,” Ellie starts, shrugging before smiling and shaking her head once, “I can’t really let you make a fool of yourself alone.”

Jane laughs and nods. “You’ll also be pretty fucking bored watching me have fun.” She pauses to watch the waiter return and set down their glasses before nodding a thanks and looking back to the other woman. “Besides, it’s not like we’re driving home. We’ll just autopilot the damn thing. It’s what they’re made for.”

Ellie shakes her head, but lifts her glass when Jane does, both clinking against the other before they take their first drink.

Ellie isn’t sure how many drinks Jane’s had, but she knows it’s a  _ lot  _ more than herself. While she wanted to enjoy tonight, she isn’t really one to get completely inebriated. At least not since she was young and still in the Alliance as a simple grunt. She also thinks it’s better that at least one of them stay sober enough to find their way back to their skycar, autopilot taking them home aside. 

Although, while she can’t say that she’s necessarily drunk, she  _ can  _ agree that she has had enough to make her feel a bit … light.

“I gotta pee,” Jane suddenly says, standing and needing to catch herself on the table to keep from falling. “Will you watch my seat?”

Ellie chuckles and nods, though she knows she won’t really have to ‘save her seat’ when it’s obvious by her own presence that the booth is already taken. That seems to convince Jane, though, and the other woman nods ever so slightly before heading to the bathrooms. It’s obvious by the overly exaggerated steps that the other woman is struggling to remain steady and straight, but Ellie wouldn’t even  _ think _ of catching up to offer help.

Jane is proud despite her drunken state and, honestly if Ellie still let herself go, she’d be too. It might be an N-7 thing. That, or just plain stubbornness.

Sure that Jane is nice a drunk for the night - and afraid of the woman getting to the point where Ellie is going to have to try and carry her out or call her husband - Ellie grabs her clutch and begins to dig through for her credit chit. Daniel was nice enough and very attentive, so she has a good feeling she’ll be able to pay the whole bill before Jane can come back and argue against it. 

While it’s nice to split tickets on occasion, it was Ellie’s idea to come out so it’s her responsibility to pay. It’s only logical and polite. Even if Jane really didn’t go very easy on the rum and martinis.

“Hey, gorgeous.” The voice, thick with a slight twang interrupts her thoughts and she sighs softly.

Forcing a smile, she looks to the man, not knowing if he’s just a man that doesn’t know how to treat a woman that actually needs something or just an uneducated jerk. “Please don’t call me that,” she says, glancing around at a friend coming over to the man and moving to take a seat. “Actually, I’m just leaving.”

Pushing up to stand, Ellie freezes with the man now sitting at the booth snatches her wrist. “Don’t you wanna wait for your friend? Let us buy you a drink.”

“Uh, no.” Ellie yanks her hand away and glares at the two men. “Step aside while you can of your own free will.”

The attitudes of the men immediately ignite into anger as they both stand before her, squaring their shoulders. “What did you just say?” The original man, the taller of the two, curls his lip beneath a mustache and reaches out for her.

With a quick swipe of her hand, Ellie shoves the hand away and uses her other to slam her palm right into his now unguarded solar plexus. He wheezes, stepping back with a reddened face and the other turns to her, balling his fists.

“You bitch!” He takes one step before he’s jerked back and spun around.

Jane, enough sobriety shining in her eyes for Ellie not to worry, smirks, steps forward, and kicks the man right between the legs. The highest noise comes out of him as he buckles, collapsing to the ground. When the first man finally seems to catch his breath, he charges for Ellie. With a quick flick of her arm, she grabs one of the glasses from the table and hits him across the head mid charge and hard enough to knock the cowboy hat off his head and shatter the thick glass.

Jane laughs at the sound. Stepping over the man still writhing on the ground, she grabs the still standing man’s head while he’s bent over and slams it onto the table, the final blow before he collapses. Even Ellie winces at the sound and when she looks up, it seems like the entire bar has come to a silent stand still.

“What? Can’t some ladies defend themselves against some fucking pigs?” Jane shouts, spreading her arms. “Because if there’s any disagreement, I’d be willing to change your minds.”

Stepping forward, Ellie lands a hand on Jane’s shoulder and lowers to speak closer to the woman’s ear. “I think we should leave.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Jane agrees, nodding and dropping her hands. Her shoulders droop as it seems the adrenaline is giving way once again to the alcohol and Ellie loops her arm in the other woman’s.

Daniel steps forward, worry and apology in his eyes, but Ellie holds up her hand with a smile before he can actually speak. “You shouldn’t need to apologize for your patrons.” She shifts in order to be able to reach into her clutch without disturbing her hold on Jane and fetches the credit chit. “Here. This should be enough for our drinks, your tip, and some clean up.”

“I’m sorry again, ma’am.” Daniel cups her hand in his and dips his head. “Thank you. I hope this didn’t ruin your night.”

Jane snorts and grins. “Quite the opposite.”

Ellie chuckles and nods in agreement to Daniel before leading Jane out. She distantly hears Daniel call the two men ‘insane for trying to mess with  _ the  _ Ms. Hunter and Mrs. Vakarian’ and chuckles, inwardly thanking the waiter for treating them like average patrons. She gets treated like some kind of royalty enough on Virmire and though it’s nice at times to feel important, sometimes she likes being a nobody like before.

When they reach the skycar, Jane waves Ellie off to get into the car on her own, so Ellie trusts in the woman’s confidence in her own walking and lets her go. Jane stumbles slightly with the momentum to swing open the door, but quickly rights herself by flopping into the large seat. She immediately closes her eyes and lays her head back, mumbling something.

“What’s that?” Ellie types in her home address knowing Jane’s own skycar is parked at hers and Arcanus’ home.

“I’m gonna sleep. Right here. Right now.”

Ellie chuckles, grinning at Jane’s sleepy voice. “I don’t think Garrus would appreciate that.”

Jane snorts and cracks open and eye. “Garrus? Or  _ Arcanus _ ?”

Admittedly, Ellie hadn’t thought of her mate’s opinion on a drunk Jane Vakarian stumbling through his house. Now though, all she can think of is his look, as if she brought home a stray kitten without warning him previously. She laughs loud and covers her belly with a hand.

“Oh, God. He’d be absolutely  _ aghast _ ,” she says, sharing in Jane’s resulting laugh.

“Elyse,” Jane says, furrowing her brows and attempting to lower her voice, “Why have you brought Jane to our home. And in her current state? You should take her back.”

Ellie chuckles and lifts a brow at her friend, deciding to play along if it’ll keep Jane awake and easier to move once they get home. “Back where?”

Still trying to imitate Arcanus, Jane scoffs. Then scoffs again. “Wherever. She will find her way back home. Eventually.”

Ellie rolls her eyes. “He isn’t  _ that  _ bad.”

Snorting, Jane wrinkles her nose, but smiles. “He called me to rescue him when Cassia sneezed and had some gnarly snot coming out of her. You’d think she was radioactive or something.”

Ellie laughs, knowing all too well that Jane isn’t exaggerating. “Well, did you  _ know  _ Cassia was sick?”

“She wasn’t sick!” Jane sits up straight in her seat. “She was outside and it was windy!” Chuckling, she sits back down. “And I’m pretty sure there’s a stage in life where kids are absolutely disgusting. I don’t think the twins are  _ out  _ of that stage.” She huffs and crosses her arms, mumbling, “If they’ll ever be.”

Ellie smiles and lays a hand on Jane’s thigh. The twins are … messy, to put it lightly, but she knows their mother loves them despite what others would think when they hear her talk of them. It’s a special kind of endearment and one so typically ‘Jane.’

As they reach Ellie’s home, Jane barely waits for the skycar to level out before popping open the door and jumping out. Ellie watches her in surprise, more than sure Jane was on a one-way trip into the sand, but instead, the woman started heading right for the front door. Ellie quickly shuts off the skycar, gets out, and rushes after her to see exactly what she has planned.

“Uh, Jane?” Ellie says, eyes moving between the woman and the front door as it opens. “What are you up to?”

Jane lowers her voice as she steps in the doorway and looks to Ellie, expression serious. “I don’t want to go home. The kids are loud and Garrus is a morning person,” she says in a mock whisper, tone clear that this is more a plea than explanation.

Chuckling, Ellie closes the door behind them and follows Jane as she heads straight for the living room. “Well, as horrible as that sounds, I’m afraid that we don’t have a free room for you.”

Jane waves that off and walks into the dimly lit living room where Arcanus sits on his reclining chair, a book in hand. He watches Jane as she flops onto the couch with a raised brow over the top of his book before lowering it with a questioning rumble.

“Jane. I do not believe we are expecting night visitors,” He says, glancing Ellie’s way and she simply shrugs with an apologetic smile.

“I’m not  _ visiting _ , I’m spending the night.” Laying her head back on the arm rest, she squints at him. “Now go back to reading your book. You won’t even know I’m here.”

“Doubtful.”

Ellie chuckles softly and moves to Jane, starting to untie her shoelaces because Ellie just  _ knows _ there’s an unspoken protest resting on Arcanus’ mouth plates. “I think maybe we should call Garrus to come get you-”

“You better not,” Jane interrupts, shifting to look down her body at Ellie. “Don’t do me like that. I trust you.”

Rolling her eyes at the pout as well as Arcanus’ exasperated sigh, Ellie slips Jane’s shoes off her feet and sets them on the floor. “I know you do. I trust you too, but don’t you want to let Garrus know you’re safe? I’m sure you’ll miss your big, nice, comfy,  _ warm _ bed.”

When Jane groans and rolls to give her back to them, eyes closing, Arcanus sets his book on the side table and stands. Ellie opens her mouth to protest at calling Garrus on Jane, but he holds up a hand and shakes his head, eyes nearly desperate for her to agree with him. She snorts at his dramatic take on the situation and nods in acquiescence.

“Garrus,” Arcanus says into his omnitool after the moment needed for the call to connect, “Your mate is on our couch, attempting to sleep. She is clearly inebriated and insisting that she will not leave.” A pause. “I would prefer haste.”

Just as he closes his tool, Jane rolls over and tosses one of the decorative pillows from the couch at him. It bounces off of his chest and he watches it fall, brow plate raised as she scowls at him.

“I don’t like you,” she says, rolling to lay on her back and glare at the ceiling, arms crossed. “And your couch sucks. It’s uncomfortable. I wouldn’t want to sleep on it anyways. Stupid couch. Stupid Arcanus. Stupid couch.”

“I am sure I do not feel the regret you are expecting,” Arcanus says, handing Ellie the pillow when she offers a hand to put it back. “I will await Garrus’ arrival.”

Ellie bites her chuckle back at her mate’s reluctance to deal with a very childish Jane, setting the pillow down before following him. “Hey,” she says after him and smiles when he stops to look back, “I’m sorry. I should have insisted she go home.”

Thrumming, his expression softens and he lays a hand on her shoulder. “I know you too well to know you would do such. I take relief in the fact that she has not currently done the amount of damage her twins attempt whenever they visit.”

She snorts and covers his hand, stroking the top with her fingers. “Thank you for being so understanding. I think she just ...Uh ….” Debating on telling him what happened, she looks around in attempt to come up with some.

He knows immediately that whatever she’s holding back is definitely something he wouldn’t like and cups her chin to make her look at him. “Something happened.”

She purses her lips at the statement rather than question and looks aside, shrugging. “Not too bad. Just some jerks, but they aren’t a problem anymore.”

“Which usually means you employed violence.”

She snorts and chuckles, nodding in his hand. “Yep, pretty much.” Hearing the landing of a skycar outside, Ellie steps back and heads for the door to let Garrus in.

Garrus is definitely more amused than upset at the situation, rumbling even in slight apology to Arcanus as they let him inside. “I see she hasn’t destroyed the house,” he jokes and Ellie bites down her grin because she just  _ knows  _ playing into his flippant threat wouldn’t really make Arcanus all that confident in its impossibility. 

“If she proves to be more destructive than your children, then I believe we can no longer allow you and your family to visit our home,” Arcanus says, following behind Garrus, hands clasped behind his back. 

Garrus smirks over his shoulder, amusement clear in his expression. When they enter the living room, his expression softens and he approaches Jane, purring to her as he kneels down.

“Jane,” he says softly, brushing a strand of hair hanging over her closed eyes out of the way, “We should get you home where you can rest better.”

She huffs and cracks open an eye. “Carry me?”

Garrus makes a considering hum, but Ellie knows better. She knows there’s no hesitation for him when it comes to Jane. Ellie’s pretty sure that if Jane asked him to walk out into the Ocean, he’d do it without question, but she also knows Jane well enough that she’d just as soon walk across Palaven without any protection if he asked it of her in return.

Slipping his arms beneath her, Garrus picks up his wife and cradles her close to his chest. Ellie rushes over to grab Jane’s shoes for him and smiles as she sets them on Jane’s stomach, squeezing Jane’s hand with the woman smiles in thanks. 

“Get some sleep, Jane,” Ellie says softly before pressing her cheek to Jane’s and kissing, then doing the same on the other side. “You can call me when you’re up to it tomorrow and maybe we can get brunch. Or lunch. Or dinner if you manage to sleep late.”

Jane snorts, but nods. “I wish. But, yeah, I’ll let you know.” Before Garrus can turn away completely, Jane reaches out to get Ellie’s attention again. “And thanks. For tonight.” She smiles. “I had fun.”

“Me too,” Ellie responds with a bright smile.

 

**Author's Note:**

> For Kougakana on Tumblr


End file.
